“I am one of you, but I am also one of them,” Yasin said. “When I’m told this is a world at war...I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

But he concluded that his belief in Islam and American patriotism were not incompatible.

He also attempted to redefine the meaning of jihad from a violent struggle to a process of personal growth.

He defined the true meaning of jihad as “the determination to do right and justice even against your personal interests” and urged graduates to look at their lives after graduation as this kind of personal jihad.

“Harvard graduates have a responsibility to leave their mark on the world,” Yasin said. “I pray...that we will be the change we seek in this world.”

Yasin said that jihad is a broad struggle for control. “On a global scale, [jihad] is a struggle...for control of the big decisions—not only who controls what piece of land, but more importantly who gets medicine, who can eat.”

A handful of students protested the speech prior to Commencement, handing out hundreds of red, white and blue pins.

Openings and Closings

The Mexican restaurant, Real Taco, will move into Bruegger’s Bagels old location on Mt. Auburn St. this fall, offering cheap food until 2 a.m. on weeknights.

Three years ago, Real Taco owner Joel Espinoza wrote his final paper for a Harvard Extension School economic class about Mexican restaurants in New England, concluding that there is a potentially lucrative market for authentic fare in the region.

Short on cash, Espinoza decided to test his theory—resulting in a Mexican restaurant in downtown Boston and now one in Cambridge.

After closing its doors more than a year ago, Grafton Street Pub and Grille —the upscale bar that had become a favorite for Cambridge locals and the College’s over-21 set—reopened June 21 just down the street from its original location.

The bar moved into the One Bow Street Building that previously housed the legendary Bow & Arrow Pub.

“Things have been going really well [since the opening],” said Grafton owner Patrick M. Lee said. “There are a lot of old faces. We’re getting a lot of positive feedback.”

Harvard Square will also soon to have its own “desserterie.”